Make It

Tap or click steps to mark as complete

STIR all of the sauce ingredients together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Stir frequently until the mixture reaches a boil. Boil for one minute, remove from the heat and set aside.

PREHEAT the oven to 325°F.

STACK the two pounds of bacon and cut across the slices making ½-inch wide strips. In a large skillet, fry the bacon, stirring frequently, until crisp and brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain the bacon grease from the pan.

PLACE the pan back over medium high heat and break up the ground beef into it. If using the onion, add it at this point. Continue breaking it up with a spoon as you cook it until the beef is browned. If necessary, drain any excess fat away from the meat. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sauce, beef, bacon, and beans until well combined.

DIVIDE the mixture between a 9-inch by 13-inch by 2-inch pan and an 8-inch by 8-inch by 2-inch square pan. Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour or until very bubbly and hot all the way through.

To Make in the Slow-Cooker:

SPRAY the bowl of a slow-cooker crock insert with non-stick cooking spray.

POUR the mixture into the insert, cover, and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or until very bubbly and hot all the way through.

STORE leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator or divide into individual meal sized portions and freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Reheat with a dash of water in a covered saucepan or in the microwave.

Some notes on preparation:

• If you don’t like butter beans or kidney beans, you can swap out an equivalent amount of a variety of beans you DO like. For instance, you can sub in 2 cups of cooked (or 1 can of) pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, or cannellini beans. If you’re not fond of pork and beans, you can sub in homemade or purchased baked beans.
• This is equally delicious made with ground venison or elk! I imagine it would be pretty fantastic with any red game meat.
• Mince those onions tiny if you want them to ‘disappear’ in cooking because you’re dealing with picky eaters. If they’re likely to balk at even that, you can replace the chopped onion with 1 ½ teaspoons of onion powder mixed in with the rest of the ingredients before baking.
• If you want to make this meal even faster, you can use your preferred bottled barbecue sauce (KRAFT Barbecue Sauce, for example) in place of the sauce ingredients. (Both variations are included in the recipe.)• This can be baked in the oven or prepared in the slow-cooker. How’s that for versatility? (Both variations are included in the recipe.)

Servings

22

Diabetes Center

Carb Choices: Carb Choice

Nutrition Bonus

Nutritional Information

Serving Size 22

AMOUNT PER SERVING

% Daily Value

* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.